1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to perpendicular magnetic recording write heads for use in magnetic recording disk drives.
2. Description of the Related Art
Perpendicular magnetic recording, wherein the recorded bits are stored in a perpendicular or out-of-plane orientation in the recording layer, is a promising path toward ultra-high recording densities in magnetic recording hard disk drives. The recording or write head in perpendicular magnetic recording disk drives includes a write pole for directing a magnetic field to data tracks in the recording layer, and one or more return poles for return of magnetic flux from the recording layer.
The write head may also include a trailing shield (TS) of magnetically permeable material that faces the recording layer and is spaced from the write pole in the along-the-track direction by a nonmagnetic gap. The TS slightly alters the angle of the write field and makes writing more efficient.
The write head may also include a pair of side shields located on opposite sides of the write pole in the cross-track direction and separated from the write pole by a nonmagnetic gap layer. The side shields control the write width and help reduce adjacent-track-erasure. Typically the TS and side shields are connected or formed as a single-piece structure to form a wraparound shield (WAS) that generally surrounds the write pole. A perpendicular magnetic recording write head with a WAS is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,002,775 B2, assigned to the same assignee as this application.
Perpendicular magnetic recording at high a real density is limited by the strength of the write field and the write field gradient at the point of writing. Additionally, a high write field increases the likelihood of erasure of adjacent tracks, especially when the write head is located at a high skew angle relative to the data track to be written.
What is needed is a perpendicular magnetic recording write head that generates a high write field and high write field gradient without increasing the likelihood of adjacent-track-erasure.